Star Luo City.
As the imperial capital of the Star Luo Empire, this ancient city, which has been the seat of dynasties for ten thousand years, faintly revealed its profound history and accumulation. Every day, it generated a turnover of billions of gold coins, and its prosperity filled every street and every shop.
Nine Treasure Shop.
A magnificent, gold-adorned venue was engraved with four large characters.
Whenever anyone passed by, they would cast looks of reverence and awe. The emblem of the nine-story pagoda was known to everyone. As the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, standing at the pinnacle of the wealth chain, even though it was now low-key and reclusive, few people did not know its name.
Inside the shop.
In a small courtyard.
Two women sat opposite each other.
"You are—Xiao Ya, I have heard Nannan mention you." The gentle and beautiful woman said with a smile, breaking the slightly awkward reunion.
"Hello, Mother Jiang." Tang Ya stuck out her tongue and bowed slightly.
Perhaps she would have to call her mom in the future.
If she snatched her best friend's younger brother to be her husband, what should she call her later? This is quite a tricky situation…
"What does your family do?" Mother Jiang asked with a smile.
"—My father was originally the sect leader of the Tang Sect, but unfortunately, he was harmed by treacherous people. Now, my entire family has been wiped out, and I am all alone." Tang Ya said, her tone dimming upon hearing this.
"So you are also a poor child." Mother Jiang's eyes instantly softened. She gently pulled the girl to her side and patted her back lightly. "My Lu Cheng was also picked up by me back then."
"Mother."
Watching Mother Jiang and Tang Ya, the two jade-like beauties, one older and one younger, laughing like mother and daughter, whispering in each other's ears, and about to reveal the embarrassing stories of Lu Cheng's childhood, Lu Cheng finally appeared.
"Hee hee, A Cheng."
Seeing this, Tang Ya's beautiful eyes flashed. She hopped over to Lu Cheng's side. Seeing that Jiang Nannan and the others were not following behind, she immediately took his arm, her eyes quite playful and lively.
"Regarding paying respects to your parents, I'm afraid it will have to wait until this tournament is over." Lu Cheng's eyes carried a touch of guilt. He had been running around to improve his strength, spent a few months in the Far North, and then there were the selection trials; he had truly been too busy to catch his breath.
Heaven Dou City, where the old site of the Tang Sect was located, was still some distance from Shrek, so he had neglected Tang Ya, but the girl was well-behaved and sensible and had never complained.
"It's okay, there's no rush. If Mom and Dad knew you had this intention, that would be enough." Tang Ya hugged Lu Cheng's arm tightly, a brilliant smile appearing on her delicate, oval face.
She was worthy of being a Shrek Academy beauty-level stunner. With a pert nose, she was currently wearing a light blue martial outfit that outlined her slender, tall, and budding figure to perfection. Her large eyes were like clear springs, exceptionally moving.
Ah, youth—
"Mom, Sister Nannan and the rest of the Shrek team have gone to the hotel. Once everything is settled, they will come to find you. In the meantime, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School is my friend, and they will protect you and ensure your safety along the way."
Lu Cheng gently flicked Tang Ya's nose while explaining to Mother Jiang with a smile. The girl pretended to be angry but leaned in even tighter.
"Hmm—"
Mother Jiang nodded with relief.
A thousand words turned into reaching out and gently stroking the boy's head: "You've worked hard."
Even though she was just a housewife, she could vaguely guess what her child was planning and how powerful the enemies were. It was just hard on this child; he was still so young, yet he carried such a heavy burden on his shoulders—
"What do you mean the main force is all heavily injured?! What do you mean I have to play too?!?"
Leaving the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's encampment, Tang Ya finally got the details from Lu Cheng and almost jumped up, staring at Lu Cheng in astonishment.
"Wait, A Cheng, are you okay?"
The girl's face turned pale. Her fair hands wandered over Lu Cheng, wanting to lift his clothes right there on the street to see if he had any injuries.
"Sister Xiao Ya, I'm fine."
Lu Cheng felt a bit helpless and held down the girl's hands.
This girl was scatterbrained, and he was used to it.
"Sister Nannan is also fine, but in order to make up the numbers, Teacher Wang's intention is for you to join in—"
Lu Cheng said leisurely.
He didn't care; after all, victory or defeat was entirely up to him. He had already memorized the data of the many opponents in this tournament, having read the original book once. Without even a single Soul Saint, it would be hard to lose.
But Teacher Wang was different. A few days ago, Shrek Academy sent another letter signed by Yan Shaozhe. Although the letter did not explicitly demand winning the championship and even comforted them by saying that victory or defeat didn't matter, if it weren't for the fact that he secretly dragged out a bunch of Shrek Academy's honors at the end of the letter, everyone might have really believed it.
With the academy applying pressure and the burden of honor, Teacher Wang was desperate. Knowing that Tang Ya "happened" to be in Star Luo City, he implored Lu Cheng to bring her over.
"How has your soul power improved recently?" Lu Cheng asked softly.
"Want to try it yourself?" Tang Ya stretched out her snow-white, slender arm, her eyes smiling.
Lu Cheng shook his head, grabbed the girl's wrist, and felt the surging soul power in her body. A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes: "Level 42 Soul Ancestor? No—"
"The cultivation technique you are running in your body—"
Lu Cheng's voice paused, while Tang Ya lifted her pretty face, her red lips curving up, full of pride: "Sister Xiao Ya is now the legitimate Sect Leader of the Tang Sect; there is no other."
She emphasized the word "legitimate" with extra force.
Lu Cheng nodded slightly.
Brother Tianmeng had just reminded him that he had detected an unusual energy in Tang Ya's mental sea. Like Electrolux, it was like a remnant soul wandering from another world, but it was far less powerful than the former—
And knowing the legitimate Tang Sect cultivation technique while being a remnant soul made it quite interesting.
Lu Cheng smiled: "That is excellent. With you restoring the Tang Sect's reputation, I'm sure the ancestor from ten thousand years ago, Tang San, would be extremely gratified."
But Tang Ya, who had always looked forward to Tang San with longing when he was mentioned in the past, now had anger in her beautiful eyes: "A Cheng, don't mention the name 'Tang San' again. I just found out that he was a thief, and the Tang Sect was not created by him at all. He was just a swindler who deceived the world."
"My Tang Sect ancestor is simply not him, Tang San."
Lu Cheng heard this, his smile hard to hide, and he asked no more questions.
It seems it was exactly as he thought.
Star Luo Hotel.
First floor.
At the registration desk, many participating teams were registering their information. Compared to the crowding of previous days, the number of teams registering in the last few days had dropped significantly, and the lobby was somewhat empty. This was probably because there were only two days left until the registration deadline, and most of the powerful teams had already arrived in Star Luo City early to familiarize themselves with the venue environment.
The later they came, the lower the quality of the teams.
But today, it was a bit different.
A group of young men and women, all dressed in dark green team uniforms, appeared in the lobby. The brilliant Shrek Academy badge on their chests symbolized their identity.
"Registration."
An impossibly handsome young man flashed a brilliant smile and spoke to the front desk.
"Shrek Academy—"
"Oh, oh." The front desk attendant was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly lowered her head, wiped away the drool that had almost spilled out, and processed the information with a flushed face.
"We need to check your bone age; please come this way." As she spoke, she hurriedly poked the attendant next to her, who was also somewhat dazed, and signaled for the latter to lead the way.
"Okay."
Lu Cheng said with a smile.
He led the Shrek Academy inner and outer academy disciples and walked straight toward a private room.
At this moment, the eyes of the entire lobby were focused on him.
They were either surprised by Lu Cheng's handsomeness, his clearly youthful face, or why the leader of Shrek Academy was so young.
Teacher Wang kept a straight face, but in reality, he held a glimmer of hope.
Lu Cheng—you must lead the team to win the championship.
Otherwise, after returning to the academy, given Yan Shaozhe's temperament, they were afraid they wouldn't have a good outcome.
Second floor.
At the stairs.
A group of young men and women dressed in uniform red and black attire stood scattered about, all carrying a sense of vitality.
A handsome young man at the lead narrowed his eyes: "What on earth is Shrek Academy doing—there are clearly only three people aged eighteen or nineteen, and the rest are all reserve team members." There are only two days left until the registration deadline. Even as strong as Shrek is, they wouldn't treat this registration as child's play, would they?"
Beside him, a girl with silver-white hair and crimson eyes swallowed, her throat moving. She stared blankly at Lu Cheng's departing back: "So handsome—"
"Meng, who do you think that guy is? He is clearly our age, yet he can suppress many main team disciples and walk at the very front of the Shrek team. " Xiao Hongchen fiddled with his fingers, his eyes full of curiosity.
"Meng… MENG?!?"
It wasn't until he turned his head and saw Meng Hongchen with a lovesick look that he bared his teeth and roared.
"Ah—" Meng Hongchen closed her ears with a guilty conscience.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
"How many people were in the Shrek team that just passed by?" Xiao Hongchen said expressionlessly.
"Why would I observe that?" Meng Hongchen shrugged.
"How many main team disciples and how many reserve team disciples?" Xiao Hongchen continued.
"I don't know." Meng Hongchen twiddled her fingers in boredom.
"Then—that ponytail boy—" Xiao Hongchen said gloomily.
"Visually estimated height between 1.76 and 1.77 meters, weight about 130 jin, wearing a wolf-tail hairstyle, the hair tie used is black, and also—"
Meng Hongchen suddenly raised her head, looking excited, and rattled off all the information about Lu Cheng like she was listing dishes on a menu.
The surrounding Sun Moon Empire reserve team members covered their faces one after another.
"Sister Meng is lovesick again."
"But that guy is indeed handsome—"
Xiao Hongchen: "..."
A bit envious and even stunned, he muttered, "Besides Sword Idiot, Shrek Academy actually has such a handsome guy."
Night fell.
The entire Star Luo City was bustling with activity.
As the tournament approached, millions of people poured into the city, giving the already prosperous giant city an even more vigorous vitality. Viewed from the sky, it was brightly lit, and the flow of people, like ants, shuttled through the streets and alleys of all sizes.
And at the core of this city.
Inside a palace.
Xu Jiawei slowly put down the envelope in his hand and looked at the beautiful girl in front of him with confusion: "Jiu Jiu, you mean Shrek Academy suffered heavy losses while suppressing Evil Soul Masters, and more than half of the main team members lost their combat ability and were forced to return to the academy to recover?!?"
"Marshal Dai sent the letter himself. It is said that his son, Dai Yueheng, was also in this team. When Shrek was returning, they happened to run into Marshal Dai, who was on patrol."
The beautiful girl in front of him wore a goose-yellow court dress, her long golden hair neatly tied into a ponytail. There was a faint smile on her pretty face, and her bright eyes were as blue as the sea, carrying a touch of dignity and composure.
At this moment, she bowed slightly, her red lips parting slightly.
"Main team disciples—half of them are crippled." Xu Jiawei crushed the envelope in his hand, his eyes flashing with uncontrollable excitement and agitation.
After all, for these ten thousand years, Shrek Academy was like a mountain, pressing heavily on the heads of all forces, making it hard to breathe.
Every tournament, they won by an absolute degree of crushing, and the gap between them and second place was like a chasm.
But this time, it was simply a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.
"Jiu Jiu, what do you think?" Xu Jiawei tapped the armrest of his chair lightly, his eyes full of hope.
"Jiu Jiu has a fifty percent chance!" In Xu Jiujiu's azure blue eyes, there was also a flicker of excitement.
"Fifty percent, that's enough!" Xu Jiawei slammed the armrest of his chair, which shattered and exploded, wood chips flying everywhere. He also slowly stood up, his eyes revealing deep ambition.
Is the influence of this tournament's first place on the academy large?
Extremely large.
Why is Shrek Academy so powerful, encompassing the continent's top geniuses every session? Because the source of students is excellent and because they are first in the tournament every session, the whole continent knows about Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent, and all geniuses go there for its reputation.
This is a virtuous cycle, and it is positive.
And this positive cycle, Shrek Academy has experienced for a full ten thousand years, which is enough to show its profound foundation, which is not something they can shake.
Therefore, the Star Luo Empire had never expected to compete for the name of the future.
But they only needed this tournament's first place.
It would be enough for the Star Luo Empire to make a fortune, and the benefits brought would last for decades or even hundreds of years.
The source of students—
It is still the source of students.
This thing is really too important.
After all, where would true geniuses need teachers to teach them? Just smash them with resources. Haven't you seen the grandmaster from ten thousand years ago, who could say that line, "I taught a god"?
"You go and prepare." Xu Jiawei narrowed his eyes and said, "During this period, the empire can provide all resources for the use of this year's Star Luo Empire team."
"Also, remember—during the early elimination rounds, you must not assign strong teams to Shrek Academy. Although we want to take the championship, at least for the top sixteen, we must leave a spot for them."
Xu Jiujiu's eyes were strange. She hesitated for a moment but still nodded slightly.
Shrek Academy was not completely dead. Among the main team members, the most powerful Soul Saint was still there, so she only dared to say fifty percent of the certainty.
But there was no need to interrupt her brother's joy.
Shrek Academy was indeed falling apart.
Star Luo Hotel.
Top floor.
All participating students of Shrek Academy were either sitting or standing in the conference room.
"The situation is like this—"
Teacher Wang said softly.
At this moment, his hair was messy, his eyes were bloodshot, and the corners of his mouth were forced into a smile: "This session—"
"The Sun Moon Empire is likely extremely strong. With our current lineup, without Xiaotao sitting in, encountering them in the initial elimination round is almost a guaranteed loss."
"However, the Star Luo Empire should not make Shrek Academy too embarrassed, so—I think they should not give us a hard time in the elimination round."
The scene was somewhat silent.
Everyone knew that this was simply handing their lives over to the Star Luo Empire.
What if they wanted to win the championship and planned to knock Shrek out in the first round?
Although the probability was small, it was not impossible.
They couldn't afford to gamble.
Lu Cheng, however, yawned out of boredom and gently kneaded the soft, slender hand of Jiang Nannan beside him. The latter's fair earlobes turned red, and she gave a soft rebuke, wanting to retract her jade hand, but it was held firmly.
To put it bluntly.
Shrek's victory or defeat—what did it have to do with him?
Even if they could win, he might not necessarily let Shrek win the final championship.
After all, with Shrek's ugly face of coercion and inducement, they wanted to PUA him into risking his life for them?
Heh—
In this tournament, he would naturally try his best to play every match well. After all, in order to attract the attention of the Body Sect, becoming famous was essential, but that was for the final championship match after entering the finals.
Victory or defeat, it depends on his mood.
Notes:
Nearly forgot to update this one lol~
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